Cogs
by Bellatrixbeauty
Summary: Every machine has parts. And every part has a story. Four oneshots for Generator Rex.
1. Chapter 1

**BB says: **Hi guys! This is the first of three Generator Rex one-shots I plan to create. By the end I may have more (I'm just one big flip-flop when it comes to writing ^^;) but for now let's just believe there will be three. This one is Holix and, I admit, is probably the shortest of the bunch. I like to think of it as a warm up.

**Rating: **Teen. It's not racy, but I don't take chances.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Generator Rex or the characters. Nor to I own the quote below.

_Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes." They will say, "Women don't have what it takes." _

_~Clare Boothe Luce_

Two absolute truths could explain Holiday's predicament.

The first to be taken into account was the fact that she would die a thousand, horribly painful deaths before letting any sort of weakness show. That's just the way it was. From early in life, when she was carrying most of the weight in group projects at school and being hit on by meat heads, Holiday realized that though she was smarter than most of the males around her, she had to work twice as hard to be considered half as good. So many professors, so many superiors she was absolutely certain she could outshine given the chance. She was forced to develop the powerful confidence that was necessary for her to prove that she could do this job better than any man while still having time to do shave her legs, apply make-up, and frown at how big her butt was getting. Because this was the world of intelligent women. Fighting just to be acknowledged.

Secondly, she had a duty to herself, Rex, and the rest of the world. It was inexcusable, in her very modest opinion, to request a sick day and lie around while the human populace awaited a cure to the nightmare. The needs of the many _always _outweigh the needs of the few, and although her head was killing her and her feet were dragging and she couldn't breathe through her nose, she was only one woman. The few. She could deal with a day or two of discomfort if it put them that much closer to a breakthrough. Which was why she was here at six in the morning, an hour before anyone else, trying to focus on the glowing screen that seemed to be making her head worse.

She sneezed again, desperately trying to stifle it in the crook of her elbow. Curse you common cold, you back-stabbing bitch. It seemed like she caught it every cold and flu season, the illness totally skipping most of the staff in order to attack her. She _never _saw anyone else sniffling or wheezing or coughing during this time of year! The only possibly explanation was that her immune system was the lowest in the entire establishment of Providence, and she refused to believe that her luck could be that bad.

She coughed a painful cough. Damn it. It had gotten worse since yesterday. The doctor wasn't stupid enough to believe staying on her feet wasn't affecting her condition. She knew perfectly well rest would help her heal faster. That was simple logic. But she knew from experience fighting through the discomfort was a trade off; more misery but more work done. She would get worse before she got better. Acceptable loses in her opinion.

Holiday reached for her coffee to soothe her throat (although combining caffeine with the cold medicine she had taken this morning probably wasn't the best idea) and was irked when her hand wrapped around air.

"What do you think you're doing?" Holiday couldn't keep her voice from croaking as she was made aware of her partner. She wondered how he had gotten in without her realizing it before, but the fact that he was Six and therefore a ninja was enough of an excuse. She sighed and spun in her office chair to glare up at him. Like she was expecting him to simply give the cup back after being confronted.

Nothing was that easy with Six. Zip. Nada.

"You don't need it."

"I beg to differ." She stuck her hand out as her lip protruded in an unconscious pout. After a few seconds of their mutual glares, she lunged at the mug, not totally surprised when he swiped it out of her reach. Again. And again. And again.

The end result was the tall, lanky man holding the coffee over his head and the short, willowy woman standing on her tip toes to reach it. She occasionally gave a little jump for leverage, but quickly realized that jumping mixed with her cold and heels was a nauseating experience. The scene was very amusing, and Holiday's frustration increased as Six taunted her silently.

"Give it!"

"No."

"Six!"

"No."

"Seriously!"

"No." She crossed her arms and frowned, the red of indignation blossoming in olive cheeks. Recognizing victory, Six held the cup back at chest level.

"Why won't you give it back?" A hand, the one without the mug, slid into a pants pocket. "I told you, you don't need it."

"You know I can't function without my morning coffee." Six 's lips gave a small twitch, a gesture the doctor recognized as his attempt to suppress a smile. Or a smirk, as the case may be. Her hazel eyes, glazed with the unique exhaustion wrought by sickness, narrowed into her special Holiday Glare. "You have five seconds before your actions are met with _serious_ repercussions Six." A dark eyebrow shot up behind dark glasses. "I don't feel threatened by a sick woman, Holiday."

"Four seconds." Great. He knew she was sick. And he probably knew the day before, too.

"Holiday-"

"Three seconds." Standing this long was making her legs wobble. Why couldn't he just give her back her damn coffee?"

"Holiday-"

"Two seconds." Six placed the mug on her desk, careful not to splash the contents. Holiday wasn't foolish enough to see this as a victory. She had to get rid of him before he tried something else. "Thank you. Now if you would-" she was cut off by her own squeal as large, katana callused hands gripped her waist and slung her over a broad shoulder. Six proceeded to carry her away, abandoning her lab coat over the back of her chair.

Holiday's blush of embarrassment was nicely accented by her frown and clenched eyes. "Damn it Six! Put me down this instant! I'll kill you! You son of a bitch!" Holiday didn't like resorting to barbaric threats and language, but her throbbing head and stuffed nose were bringing out the worst in her. She kicked and spewed curses and punched at his back, a fierce ball of aggression winding in her chest.

Six didn't even flinch at her infuriation. A weaker man would have set her down and apologized, or even feared for his relationship with the woman. But Six was neither weak nor concerned for their strange companionship. In fact, Six enjoyed moments like this because he knew Holiday would only show the true force of her temper to someone she trusted (or hated. He knew better than to suspect he was the latter). Holiday was at her most beautiful when fired up, when she stopped caring for procedure and precision and just let everything go up in an untamed inferno. He loved a woman with fight and grit.

The agent wasn't a man with the patience to rescue a damsel in distress every five seconds. The women who threw themselves at the tall man with the ruggedly handsome face and the cool demeanor. Who grew uncertain and clingy whenever another female walked by and could be utterly _destroyed _at the smallest of criticisms. How such individuals survived in the present world was a mystery he had no interest in pursuing because he was one of the lucky men who was actually able to find a strong woman. The type of woman who could comfort with the same hands she fought with. Who had found a happy medium between hard and soft and could swing between the two extremes with grace.

Who, even now, hair mussed from her tantrum, face red with fury, body shaking with barely pent up violence, was the most beautiful thing on earth. As usual, Six was glad for his dark glasses. Otherwise Holiday would have seen him watch her long before they began their…mutual displays of affection. She would see how soft his eyes had gotten as he watched her weakened and pained movements. She really was sick.

He had dropped her, unceremoniously, onto her bed and pinned her when she tried to sit up. Holiday was barely angry enough to squash the hot anticipation in her gut from their position. "I have work to do, let me go."

"You're sick."

"Yes, that fact had already been established." She bucked against his hands.

"So you're staying in bed today."

"Like Hell!" She almost back handed him in her thrashing. Six kept cool. In fact, he seemed to be amused by the whole situation. "The second I let you go, you'll go sprinting back to your office."

"Absolutely!"

"I can't talk you out of it?"

"No!" This was getting out of hand. All she wanted from the world was for her stubborn partner to let her up and stop bugging her. Was doing her job too much to ask for? Was it such a sin to be a professional? But no, Six had to be in her business, in her face, in her every waking thought with his sexy cool attitude and the heated gaze she felt burning through his glasses. Curse him! Curse him and every sunglass factory on the planet!

Six's tightened his grip even as Holiday weakened. Just as she drew a breath to continue berating him, he pressed his lips to the corner of her mouth.

Holiday was disappointed in herself for going limp and completely accepting his advances.

Six's lips moved a bit, pressing against hers as he released her frozen hands. His arms wrapped around her waist, and he climbed the rest of the way onto the bed as her hands wrapped around his neck. Holiday had forgotten why they had been fighting in the first place as he gently chewed on her lip and pulled her close.

No one would ever believe her if she tried to express how incredibly gentle Six was as a lover. How softly he would caress her body, how sweet and plush his cracked lips were. The genius was completely helpless in the wake of his surprisingly warm hands and his lithe body.

"Work…to do…" she protested weakly as he pressed his lips to her jaw. His only response was a low growl and she shivered as rough thumbs pressed to her stomach. He pulled her orange sweater over her head, and Holiday gasped and jumped at the cool air. Six pressed his lips to hers once again before pulling away reluctantly.

"You're staying here." She fought through the haze of lust had drifted through her mind. "No..." He kissed her chastely and stood. Holiday's sweater was still clutched in his hands as he opened the door to leave. "You don't have a choice. I'll bring you your laptop." It was miracle his voice was so steady. He commended himself for being able to leave a topless, breathless Holiday in bed alone.

He could hear her roar of pure rage as she realized all her shirts were missing.

She was so beautiful when angry.

And it was completely worth the sniffles Six woke to the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

BB says: **Sup my party people. My job is slowly killing me but I decided to publish this one shot anyway! Because I love y'all. And Rex's brother is a nutty but somehow loveable scientist. I love a cute nerd. This pairing is Rex/my OC**, Cheshire. If you don't know her, read _Everywhere is the Anywhere of Someone._ It's another one of my stories. Yay! Product placement!

Okay, so, first thing: sorry for being so slow on the update. Please don't throw bricks.

Second: This is my pocket gremlin. Its name is _MangaLover327. _Do not feed it; it will follow you home and I've grown fond of it.

Third: *squeal* Six took off his glasses.

**Rating: **Teen. Because I can.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the works of Lewis Carroll or Generator Rex.

_"If it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic," ~Lewis Carroll _

Cheshire giggled quietly at her own mischief as she snuck her way through the nearly silent Providence. People were stirring in their rooms, some (like Six) were in training while still others slammed the snooze button for the umpteenth time. The soft shuffle of droopy feet and creaking bones whispered to her sensitive hearing from behind every door, uncovered ears swiveling to listen for pursuers.

Her quarry was still in bed if her assumptions were correct, and he would remain there until someone (usually Six) woke him. It would take him still another hour to be completely aware of his surroundings, and then he would spend thirty minutes gorging himself on a large breakfast and hanging out with his simian sidekick. But not today. Because today Cheshire was feeling restless and fussy. Possessive and in need of a distraction. It was like there were nervous little ants running over her skin and into her brain. They crawled and burrowed and made themselves at home in her hippocampus; stirring memories as they moved in furniture and replanted long dead forget-me-nots in their tiny ant gardens.

She had to keep moving.

She nearly passed his door.

It slid open easily, revealing the mess within and a smell that could only be described as teenage boy. A strange combination of spray deodorant and stale food, slight undertones of body odor and the same antiseptic that one smelled in the rest of Providence. Clothes, shoes, and comic books were scattered about the floor, forcing Cheshire to carefully pick her way through the chaos so she wouldn't alert him to her presence. Her toes curled in her sandals as she accidentally kicked an empty soda can, sending it clattering across the room and, coincidentally, into the empty waste bin.

He stirred.

Throwing caution to the wind and demonstrating her usual agility, the girl leapt and twisted in the air, dress flitting about her legs in a scandalous fashion as she landed on her prey.

"What? Taco? Cee? Wha-" her lips pressed onto his and he calmed immediately. Arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her into the covers on the bed, deep in the warmth of his body. He hummed at the bite she always gave as greeting, his thumbs rubbing her back affectionately. She pulled away first, now confident he was at least coherent enough to understand her. She grinned at the blissful and very confused look on his face. "You awake now?" Rex sighed, kissing her again. "No. We should probably continue." She smiled, wrapping her fingers in his hair and pulling his head back. "Tsk, tsk. Not what I wanted to hear." He was pouting.

"Fine. What are you doing here?" he still sounded drowsy, although there was a distant light in is bleary eyes. "You and Caesar come to another realization?"

Cheshire smirked and Rex watched her nervously.

It never ceased to amaze him that in all the years Cheshire had known him, all the pages of his journal, there was no evidence that she had ever encountered Caesar. There was no instance when the two names were even on the same page.

A week after they started dating, when she had been wandering the halls of her own base, talking loudly to Private Deloriano on the latest Football game, Cheshire finally ran into the accidentally allusive man himself. He brushed past her and, as the story goes, caught a glimpse of her tail waving through the air happily. He stood still for a moment, watching the girl with the blonde hair and feline appendages retreat, before things finally clicked in his highly intelligent brain.

"Pardon me. You wouldn't happen to be Cheshire, would you?" She blinked, quickly forgot her Italian friend (who was still attempting to describe the moves of the worst player in a positive light) and smiled at this man with the eager face and bright eyes. The family resemblance was uncanny; she wondered if they looked like their mother or their father. "I'm Cheshire if you're Caesar."

With a jolly laugh more suitable for someone with three times his girth, the kooky scientist wrapped the surprised evo in a warm hug. Like she was a friend back from her sojourn and he was the first to greet her at the bus station. She overcame her confusion, assumed he was just a nice guy, and returned the affection.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I thought it was only a matter of time before we crossed paths. But with my experiments and your truant tendencies-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm a bad run-away who happens to be in a relationship with your brother and-"

"-a variegated organism too, right? May I see some of your abilities? From what Rex has told me they are incredibly complex and I-"

"-guess I can see how this slipped under our radar. He still had to re-introduce himself with the whole amnesia-"

"-pizza with everything but salmon. You have to have salmon or it's just-"

"-a strange flying laboratory, and Rex said you let him drive it-"

And so it went. Two excitable people weaving words under and over each other as they both tried to express their own opinions and lifestyles in the span of a few sparse seconds. They each seemed to be occupied with themselves as much as with each other, changing subject frequently and at random. Hands waving, eyes glittering, and poor Deloriano more confused than he had ever been in his life. Cheshire began bouncing on her toes, Caesar was drawing equations in the air and the only consistent word was "Rex". They ground to a stop after a very muddled two minutes, shaking hands and smiling at each other warmly. Deloriano scratched his head.

"So does this mean you two know each other?"

"Nope."

"Never seen this girl before in my life." Which was, Cheshire knew, partially if not entirely Rex's fault. Surely the idea to introduce her to his brother must've occurred to him long ago; why had he not carried it out? Didn't he think it was important? But wait…if it was so important, than why hadn't _she _said something? Damn it. Now she was all mixed up. Stupid Rex.

"See ya later guys." She vanished, leaving a stunned Deloriano and a delighted Caesar.

"_Increíble _(incredible)!"

Rex didn't know what to do when the evo lurking in the bushes was not the one he was supposed to capture.

The girl's grin grew, remembering the look on his face when she lunged at him from the shadows. "I go where the wind takes me. It just so happened to blow me here." She ruffled Rex's already untidy hair and hopped out of the bed.

"Come on! Full itinerary for today! Chop, chop!" He grumbled and rolled over. Released from the distraction of his girlfriend's lips, the memory of being tired was overwhelming and too sweet to ignore. "Too early. Want sleep."

"It's like twelve!" Cheshire fought, snatching his covers and smiling in concealed irritation.

"In Ireland!" The male evo spat back like a curse, yanking the comforter back. Cheshire hissed in the back of her throat, her smile turning dangerous in a way Rex would recognize had he not been pretending to sleep at the moment.

The poor, defenseless boy could do nothing as he was lifted and tossed, roughly, into the bathroom. He nearly brained himself on the sink, a towel, pants, and his favorite shirt flying in behind him.

"Hurry and shower! We have to get an early start to beat the crowds!"

Rex moaned and complained through his whole morning routine, a combination of embarrassed submission and his usual morning crankiness hanging like a storm cloud over his head. Didn't she know that a man needed his beauty rest? Well, Rex didn't _need _it - he was already gorgeous in his book- but it was still nice to get a full eight hours of sleep. Late nights gorging on pizza and attempting to beat the hardest game he had ever encountered had wiped him. He knew he could beat Humanoid Master 3000 if Noah would just give him the damn cheat code-

"Hurry up, diva!"

Cheshire was surely something else. He wondered if she had always been this demanding, controlling and downright _abusive _in the morning.

For some strange reason, the term crispy tacos came to mind.

They had been dating (she called it courting) for about a month….he gasped, inhaling a bit of toothpaste and coughing.

"Are you drowning? I hope so; that's your only excuse for taking this long!"

Was that it? Was she the type to demand that they celebrate every little anniversary? She would eventually insist on matching sweaters and (he shivered) naming their future children? Noah had warned him about those girls, the ones that were so desperately set on marrying their teenage love and occupying every second of every day of the poor victimized man. It would start with celebrating monthly anniversaries, then she would make him get rid of his friends, then she would alter his diet and fashion sense and…should he have gotten her something? Did he have time to run to the store now? Would Bobo distract her?

He was getting carried away. Breathe Rex. Damn.

Cheshire wasn't that kind of girl. This just didn't fit the girl he was re-learning. It wouldn't be special if he was always treating her, so she couldn't expect him to leap through hoops on any random day. She sought simplicity; it was one of the things he appreciated about her.

But then why had she appeared in his room so randomly? Bad question to ask about the queen of spontaneity but this seemed out of the blue even for her. Usually she would say what she wanted and leave, knowing it was so simple for a camera to catch her snooping or for White to randomly appear on a screen somewhere and notice her skulking about. She knew the risks of being captured and the consequences of disobeying direct orders.

Hot terror sizzled through his body. The mere thought of White punishing Cheshire set him on a razor's edge. Wonderful. His day was to be started with ill tempter and aggression rather than the groggy wake ups Six offered.

"Are you done? You take any longer and I'll have to go get lunch. Geez," he heard his girlfriend whine from the other side of the door. He could practically hear her tidying his room, placing dirty clothes in a pile and scooping up armfuls of trash. She was such a hypocrite. She was every bit a slob as he was.

"Don't think I can just wake up awesome! It takes time ya know." He heard her snort and flop on his bed, a smile creeping up his face. Despite the fact she was endangering herself, he had missed her pretty badly. It had been a while since their schedules allowed them to sync up. The severe time difference combined with evo hunting and bashing decimated alone time. He could count on one hand extended periods they had had, their relationship adopting long distance from the very start.

Cheshire yawned loudly. Tousling his hair one more time and pulling on his goggles, Rex strutted out of the bathroom and struck a pose. "You, my darling Cee, are one lucky lady to have all this man hunk to yourself!" She grinned good naturedly, walking over to inspect him while straightening visible wrinkles. "Hmmm…can I see what's behind door number two before I accept?"

"Way to destroy my self esteem. I'll never be the same."

"Thank goodness. I was starting to lose hope." Rex couldn't help himself any longer. He reached out and pulled her close, burying his face in her hair. He felt her nuzzle into his neck and inhale deeply.

She shuttered, suddenly, inexplicably, and an almost pained whine escaped with her exhale.

"What? Did I hurt you? What's wrong?" He tried to push her away to look at her face but she clung to him. Her heart was beating so fast it scared him. "Cheshire?" She shook her head. "It's nothing. I just…want to spend the day with you." She finally pulled away, wide smile back in place. "Is it too much to ask for my beau to be with me on the first day of spring?" His eyes were starting to burn her, the fire in the depths of deep mahogany was suffocating. But she kept her face.

"Let's go."

She took them to what look like a street fair. Booths of various nature lined the streets, rides hastily erected to entertain the masses as they immersed themselves in culture. The weather was light and balmy, warm in the patches of sun but startlingly cold in the shadow of the tents. Flowers blossomed on nearly every piece of visible foliage, the yellow of jasmine, pink of azaleas, purples of lavender, and pure white of gardenias adding gentle fragrance whenever the wind blew in their favor.

"Where are we?" Rex was in awe, the natural colors and smells over taking him. Cheshire's lips upturned gently. "The Flower Town Festival. Usually held in April. But City Council moved to have it early due to earlier blooming periods." Cheshire took another deep breath and, with a moment's thought, jammed her straw hat onto her head. Today's dress was the same bright pink as the freshly bloomed azaleas, her sandals jade green. She spread her arms, the sun causing her brown skin to shimmer red-gold. "It's still pretty cold in Ireland, so this sunshine feels really nice." Rex nodded, smiling a bit at the whimsical, childlike nature of her gesture.

"So," her voice snapped him out of his reverie. "What do you want to do first? I was thinking of rides, then exploring the booths, then your first funnel cake."

"Funnel…cake?"

"Like a _churo_. Only southern. Maybe we should get fried pickles too."

After about a few hours of wandering and riding rides ("Petting zoo, petting zoo! Oh my God look at the baby goat!"), Cheshire's reason for coming early was proven highly logical. The festival was quickly becoming packed, families and gaggles of friends wandering into and out of the festivities. A concert was set up, picnics were held in one of the parks that branched off of the tented areas, children splashed in fountains. The air was growing thick with humidity, visible lines of heat rising from the ground and the lines for snow cones winding down the street. The wind was now carrying the smell of fried foods, pizza, and population.

"Whew," Cheshire fanned herself with a paper fan (where did she get that?) and held her hair off her neck. "Another thing about southern fairs," she waved her hand as though displaying a project of great magnitude. "They get hot fast. S'okay though. This wasn't all I wanted to do today." She stood and grabbed his hand. He thought they were about to vanish again, but instead she simply weaved their fingers together, squeezing tightly.

That was okay too.

He attempted to press his lips to her temple on a whim. Unknowing of his intentions, the girl turned to face him, accepting an awkward kiss between the eyes. She giggled, but there was something heavy in her demeanor. It sucked the happy-go-kissy right out of him.

"Cheshire-"

"Let's take a walk, Rex. Summerville's real pretty this time of year. We can feed the ducks! But not the geese. They're mean and they poop everywhere." The boy blinked, brows raised at the obvious change in subject. A memory was clamoring against the back of his skull, of sunsets and bed spreads, but he was dragged away from it by an overeager Cheshire.

She led him on a winding path, away from the crowds and between the stands. They ducked down a cracked sidewalk, her hand squeezing his occasionally as though to be sure he was still there.

"Hey," sensing the tension in the air, Rex attempted to be light hearted "why the rush? You still owe me a _churo _cake."

"Funnel cake."

"And I want it." Cheshire chuckled, pausing a fork in the walk, before making a decision. "You're such a fatty Rex."

"Hey! I'm just a man who appreciates life's delicacies."

"Like a lardo."

"You are _this _close to hurting my feelings, _amor _(sweetheart/love). Why are you so pleasant today?" She didn't respond, instigating a silence that reigned over them both. Cheshire seemed content in her own, strange mood and Rex wasn't sure how to cure the gloom that wasn't quite there.

Something about the first day of spring…what was the date again?

The buildings gradually changed as they walked. The newer, shinier glass and steel began to devolve into brick and wood, faded signs advertising stables and farmers' markets. A government issued billboard boasted of the city's historical appeal as Cheshire carefully lead him over rusty railroad tracks.

"Where are we going?" But the girl was too far gone to respond. At some point she had dropped his hand, choosing to pick flowers and weave them together as a distraction for her restless fingers. There didn't appear to be any rhyme or reason to her choosing; buds and blossoms alike were thrown together, various colors clashing together in a way that was not displeasing despite the lack of structure.

A church rose, large and foreboding in clear defiance of the cheery (though steaming) day. It seemed like the shadows chose to gather over its doorstep, the intimidating girth combined with the ancient trees created a look from an old detective movie; dark and mysterious with an air of strict regality. It was brick, like most of the older buildings they had passed, and a large white cross adorned the topmost of the building. The sign in front dictated times for service. The last one had let out hours ago.

Without speaking a word, still in her own dream state, Cheshire vaulted over the low fence to the far side of the church, her flower wreath intact as she landed on the other side. Used to the silence, Rex followed without question.

It was a graveyard.

Small.

Overgrown.

The headstones all looked ancient, with faded letterings and overgrown plots.

"Creepy," the boy couldn't help but murmur as a decapitated angel caught his eye. He jumped three feet in the air when a shadow pounced on him, only to find it was a very stereotypical black cat. "Cheshire?" she finally looked back at him, her eyes dim above her bright smile. The effect, one of forced contentment, was heartbreaking. "Yeah Rex?"

"…nothing."

"'kay." She continued on a bee line for the very back of the cemetery, the wind stirring long dead leaves and old candy wrappers left by disrespectful visitors. Probably teenagers looking for some place to loiter. The same unsettling breeze combined with the dancing branches overhead, the sun spotting on the ground. It danced over the evos and granted an air of surrealism.

Rex had a feeling that Cheshire was showing him something no one else had ever seen, a secret side of her that lay far beneath the surface. Delving into the enigma that was Cheshire, another part she was willing to give. He hadn't read about anything like this in his journal, save for the mysterious allusion to March 20...

Fuck.

The first day of spring.

She stopped at a plot in the very back, placed beneath a worn looking willow tree that had yet to regain its leaves. A grey marble slab had three graves written on it; a garland flanked by two doves in flight was carved over the center lettering _Here Lies:_

_Louis Gregory Warren. Cherished father and healer. Born July 29,1984. Died August 8, 2024. _

To the left.

_Suzanne Christine Becwar Warren. Wonderful mother and caregiver. Born April 22, 1990. Died August 8, 2024. _

And the right.

_Nekane Warren. Beloved daughter and friend. Born March 20, 2013. Died March 20, 2024._

Below the three names, etched as though an afterthought, was the quote _"The warmth of family is comfort in the arms of death." _

Rex was speechless.

"I've never come here before," Cheshire's voice strained under the weight of deep pain. She was trying to be light hearted about this side trip, but she had underestimated the weight of coming here. Her handmade wreath was set in the middle of the tombstone, and she was tidying up the plot just for something to do. She picked up wrappers. Prized vines from the headstone. Brushed off what looked like years of coagulated muck. Rex moved to join her, and together they finished in half the time.

Cheshire squatted and rocked back on her heels, falling on her bottom.

"Who were they?" Rex desperately hoped they were not people he had forgotten. People he was supposed to be mourning. His companion cocked her head to the side, a quirk that meant she was deep in thought.

"A family. I knew them long before you." Gently, as though she believed it would bite or flee, Cheshire ran her finger across the name of the child.

_March 20. _

_White hair and so much sorrow._

Unbidden, Rex came to sit beside Cheshire, his arm wrapping around her shoulders in a simple gesture that meant the world.

"Were they," he swallowed hard and she leaned into him "yours?" She stiffened and hissed, as though in sudden pain. He though she would pull away, and held her firmly to him.

"Perhaps," she breathed shallowly "once upon a time. But she was an only child, so that's not quite right, is it? I could've been her, with her, if it wasn't what it is and will be. But I ain't so it is and I am." Rex crinkled his brow at her cryptic message, her breathing gradually growing more ragged. He looked at the names again. "Ne…cane?"

"Ne-caHn. It means sorrow. Woeful…deep…beautiful. I loved that name. And I still find it wonderful, amazing, I still…"

It was silent for a moment. Cheshire was biting her lips, arms crossed on her knees as she dug her nails into her legs.

"Awesome boyfriend that I am, I think I'll hold you for a while." The girl had finally succumbed to her shaking, but it was impossible to tell if it was laughter or sobs. Diamond drops fell from her eyes but she was smiling, silent giggles leaving her breathless. Rex pulled her closer, settling their bodies for a long stay.

"Yeah. Let's stay like this. Just for a minute."


	3. Chapter 3

**BB says: **Without further adieu, let me introduce everyone to the latest coupling in Generator Rex, one I've just made up myself (sorry if it does already exist and I just haven't seen it ^^;), drum roll please!

*bongos play*

…BOAH! *little trumpets in the background* This pairing may only work for my stories because I let Rex cure Breach, but never the less I would like to see how far I can take it. And of course after this I have to start my sequel. I already know what I want to do with it. It'll be six to ten chapters long, there'll be attacking chairs and- *spoiler ninja grabs BB and disappears in cloud of smoke*.

**Rating: **As teen as it's ever been, but this one may actually be K…

**Disclaimer: **I do not, nor will I ever, own any part of Generator Rex.

_"Every person is a new door to a different world,"_

_~ from movie "Six Degrees of Separation" _

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"Not entirely. No."

"Well at least you're honest." Being Cheshire and no one else is probably the most dangerous choice anyone could ever make. Unlike most of the people one could be, there was no part of her screaming not to trust mad scientists. Of course there was part of this person named Cheshire that was weary -mainly because scientists were only one step from doctors and, as previously mentioned on multiple occasions to multiple people, Cheshire had no particular love for doctors- but as a whole the amount of anxiety surrounding this choice was minimal compared to what it should have been.

Besides, Cheshire had broken her own rules in the past and allowed one Dr….well, _Miss _Holiday to occupy the same area without much hesitation. The woman proved herself worthy of being an actual person, not just a machine that processed life through a monitor. She had a favorite color (red) bad hair days (hilarious) and favorite foods (chocolate. Lots and lots of anything chocolate) just like any other normal human would. While Cheshire was irked on some minor level at her own miscalculation, she had to admit that spending time with the older woman was a learning experience. This realization fought for the allowance of scientists in the young evo's life, even if it did nothing for the redemption of the demonized needle jockeys.

Cheshire stuck a finger under the helmet, scratching her head.

This seemed like a bad idea. And though Cheshire wasn't known for her sixth sense in the detection of danger, even she could tell she would regret this later. Her gut riled and pleaded with her brain to take its advice to heart, but her mind had shut out such intuition long ago in favor of spontaneity and whimsy. The blinking warning system going off in the recesses of her brain was easily silenced by the shallow statement:

"I really can't teleport inanimate things by themselves. Well, I've never tried…" And just like that the emergency sirens shut down and were replaced by her typical excitement at the thought of trying something new. Her poor, stifled inner eye shrugged its shoulders and settled into submission.

"Exactly! This is groundbreaking research. Never before has a case of corporal imperceptible transference been documented. If I can recreate your abilities using my lab equipment we could change transportation as we know it. People would instantly just _appear_ at their desired location without going through so much trouble. I suppose we would also have to develop a more advanced form of passports but overall…" his audience stopping listening.

Truth be told, Cheshire couldn't care less about being able to change the world. All she wanted was the "ultimate mango smoothie" promised upon the completion of these tests. If not for the reward guaranteed for her participation, Cheshire would be hard pressed to do anything of this caliber; her natural devil-may-care attitude and aversion to strange looking headgear supported the fact she would rather be outside playing with the local herdsman's sheep dogs.

This sort of felt like an invasion of privacy, like she was showing him her underwear for analysis of the cotton waistband. It was a part of her that no one had ever showed such persistent fascination about; most people just accepted that Cheshire's abilities were a natural piece of who she was as a whole. "That helmet you're wearing will measure any peculiar phenomena that occur during the use of your powers. Any spikes in your brain waves or fluctuation in your body's relationship with your nanites will be recorded for future reference."

"Okay. If you think you know what you're doing." The girl shot a glance at Allison, the physical representation of her previous gut feeling. Pale fingers nervously tugged at the hem of her skirt, wide hazel-green eyes held the doubt her voice couldn't quite express. She looked out of place in the strange lab, the soft colors of her clothes and face opposing to the grays and greens of the walls and equipment. "No worries Alice. Soon there will be all the mango sweetness we could drink. Right Caesar?" The absent minded man didn't respond, fiddling with a keyboard. Cheshire sighed through her nose, keeping her happy face.

"RIGHT CEASAR?" He didn't even jump at her raised voice. "Huh? Oh right! Smoothies. _Por supuesto _(of course)." Cheshire's gut feeling shook its head and opened a magazine, refusing to give any more ignored warnings.

"Are you ready, Cheshire?" She shrugged, hearing Allison draw a breath. "Sure. Why not?" Caesar gave her a warm smile, one that would have been assuring if she wasn't positive this was just another fifteen minute project to him.

Smoothies.

She could deal.

"Alright. Try to transfer the apple from point A to point B without picking it up." A sat in front of Cheshire's blue eyed gaze, the big red apple waiting patiently for her to act. She focused, feeling the familiar tingle start in her limbs as power awoke within her. Her fingers twitched and the tips of her toes faded away, the part of her hair that wasn't matted down by blinking lights and gears began to stand up. Caesar held a palm sized computer in his hand, eyes flicking between the small screen and the girl pursing her lips in concentration. The strain on her face was clear, brows furrowed and nose crinkling. The edges of the apple grew fuzzy and Cheshire clenched her eyes shut to focus harder.

"Incredible. It appears as though your nanites-" something snapped and rebounded in Cheshire,the apple exploding and sending chucks of pulp spraying across the room. The stem flicked against her nose. "Sorry. Guess I kinda messed it up…I still want my smoothie though."

The scientist was ignoring her again, watching the figures on his mini monitor. Cheshire tilted her head to the side, examining him as juice dried on her bare arms and made her skin horribly sticky.

Caesar was strange to say the least, like an older, less stable Rex. They looked so similar it was uncanny, but other than their faces nothing else could be said for what they had in common. Where Rex was carefree and somewhat lazy, Caesar seemed happiest when busy, wrapped up in one experiment or another as his overzealous brain power processed his surroundings.

The world was like a never ending equation for him as he was constantly searched for ways to alter and improve upon whatever came to mind. It was unnerving, in a way, to watch someone who was so set on his work he didn't register the full consequences of his actions, someone so lost in the world of numbers and experiments they failed to register how it may effect those around them. Cheshire doubted he even cared that the helmet was pinching her ears in an uncomfortable manner, or that there may have been an apple seed up her nose. He was a little off. And coming from Cheshire, that meant quite a deal.

Bored with her analysis of the stereotypical madman, the blonde evo turned her attention back to Allison. The silent girl was frowning slightly. She had avoided most of the sticky mess but still had to pick seeds and pulp from her hair as she gazed back at her friend in accusation. Cheshire smiled.

"Aw. I'm sorry Alice. But think of the delicious-" The girl shook her head and pouted, crossing her arms. Despite the fact that she was upset, Cheshire couldn't help but feel accomplished at the level of response she was now able to draw from the skinny girl. When the former Breach had first returned to normal, the most Cheshire could hope for was eye contact. Look at her now! Shaking her head in disapproval and openly displaying her irritation.

"You're so cute when you pout! No offense, of course; I'm totally taking you seriously right no-" sudden pain shook Cheshire to her core, her tongue turning into lead as her vision blurred. Spots of black blinked into existence, existing only visible to the evo as she clenched her eyes shut. She slapped her hands to her head in feeble defense against the needles being dragged through her nervous system, pain falling like rain and pooling beneath her flesh. Her mind was devouring itself, coming apart at the seams and expanding like a super nova within her skull.

She felt her throat vibrating as shrieks escaped, her mouth gasping for breath and tears racing down her face. Pens, machines, folders; anything that wasn't fixed to the ground was lifted, spinning in the small laboratory and smashing into the walls as an invisible wind picked up and rampaged through the room. Cheshire was lifted from her seat, body floating in midair as her hands clawed and fought with the agony raging through her head and she automatically pulled her knees to her chest. She heard Allison scream, felt the familiar tingle that accompanied a disappearance, but was powerless to react. She fought against the force ripping her apart, desperately trying to rein in the beast in her body.

All at once, it was over. Drained, Cheshire fell from five feet in the air, landing on her stomach and curling into a fetal position. Everything she had been throwing around the room landed in a heavy rain around her, the tinkling of glass breaking and the snap of metal hitting metal filled the air. She whimpered a bit in the back of her throat, her muscles twitching violently as her body rode aftershocks. Slowly, wearily, she felt her body begin to unclench, terrified that the now phantom pain would take her once again, barely registering the taste of vomit building in her gullet.

Her wobbly arms were barely enough to support her as she tried to sit up, vision struggling to focus on Caesar as he pulled himself from the wreckage. He didn't look very hurt, a few scratches on his face and dust in his hair. He bent down to pick up what remained of her helmet, one of the first things to snap in Cheshire's sudden fit of power.

She glared at him with all the strength she could muster, mirthful eyes serious and suspicious above her sneered smile.

"What did you do?" He looked taken aback by the deadly fury in her tone, but his face was already glazing over as he processed another idea. "I was attempting to help you overcome a few of the obstacles you face when you use your abilities," his voice was thoughtful as he looked down at the shattered headgear, mentally piecing together what had gone array.

"I hoped that by increasing the output of your nanites through the use of electromagnetic stimulation, your body would automatically adjust to the shift and allow you to access new skills. I must've accidentally broken a few of the safety measures you unconsciously put in place to protect you from instability presented by such abilities. Unable to process the increase in data, your body had a violent reaction to the sudden abundance of energy. A defense mechanism, I suppose. Getting rid of excess power before it could injure your psyche. A factor I overlooked." Cheshire continued to glare, tail flickering and ears pressed flat to her head as a hiss built in her throat.

"You juiced me?"

"In a word, yes." It was a wise decision for Caesar to stay out of range of the girl's clenched fists, murder in her eyes and fury behind her ferocious grin. Although she was too weak to stand, she sure as Hell wanted to kick his ass at the moment. Her eyes widened as she recalled the tingling of earlier.

"Where's Allison?" Her head swiveled in concern, panic increasing as no hint of the girl arose. Power stirred by her concern, she mustered just enough to lift the debris, checking fearfully for the girl who had disappeared.

"Don't worry. I'm sure wherever she is she's fine. At least you didn't accidentally tear her to shreds in the transference. We'd have a much larger mess, right?" Of course, Cheshire thought, grinning apprehensively at his attempt to make her feel better. She could have teleported her friend into traffic. Or several miles into the air. Or in the middle of the ocean. But at least she hadn't _ripped her apart. _What a good friend she was.

"Caesar." He blinked.

"Yeah?"

"You're an idiot." Cheshire succumbed to the darkness encroaching her vision.

The girl failed to muffle a whimper, confused and disoriented as she slowly registered her predicament.

She had landed upside down in a tree, scratches and bruises marring the milky pale of her skin, leaves now accompanying the apple residue in her hair. Her arm was twisted at an awkward angle, not broken, but uncomfortable, and one of her shoes had fallen off and landed at the base of the trunk. The limbs of the tree were healthy and zealous, effectively concealing the girl who happened to be wearing the exact same color as the surrounding greenery.

More than ever Allison wished she could find her lost voice, something to cry out to the people walking below. No one witnessed her decent into the branches from several meters in the air, no one had felt her anxious vibe as the blood rushed to her head and her body struggled to right itself, impossible because of the thickness of the tree's arms. She winced and pulled her hair free from the knot it had caught on.

This sudden jerking of her body rustled the branches silently, her other shoe finally falling from her foot and landing, roughly, onto the head of a passerby.

The blonde happened to be on the way back to his step-dad's house, where he happened to be spending the weekend, and which happened to have a rather tall ladder in the garage.

There can be no explanation as to how her shoe knew to fall just as a person was walking by instead of hitting the ground unnoticed, or knew to fall on this particular person at this particular moment in time.

"A shoe? Where did this…?" Sky eyes looked up into the tree, finally seeing what so many others had passed beneath without ever noticing. "Oh my God! Are you okay?" Allison gave a tired wave of her hand, relief crashing over her. Vertigo had set in a while ago, and the less she moved the better. It was funny, really. _Before _height had never really bothered her, teleporting into an out of situations that occasionally called for aerial expertise. It seemed that her comfort with being yanked to and from various locations had been cured along with the rest of her.

"Hold on, I'll get a ladder!" Allison gave a nod that she knew he couldn't see, closing her eyes. It didn't take the boy long to retrieve the tools necessary to free her, the ladder and a saw to deal with the more stubborn branches. He seemed a bit awkward carrying her down, throwing her over his shoulder after a moment of hesitation and a light blush. It wasn't until they were back on the ground, her still over his shoulder, that she recognized him.

From…_before._

The acquaintance of the former shiny who was the former thing's current boyfriend. The past sparkly being's present ally and casual buddy

She gave an almost inaudible squeak, flailing against him until he set her down. "Hey! Hey! Watch it! Geez." She backed into the tree, sliding down the trunk to sit on her bottom and shake uncontrollably. This wasn't happening. She was back at Providence with Cheshire. She'd probably fallen asleep somewhere, and this was some sort of smoothie induced dream. She wasn't supposed to leave, she didn't what the man in the white clothes to be mad. Because he had what was hers just like Van Kliess had what was hers and she had to stay. Although the creature-now-Cheshire said that her used to be enemies would not hurt her Nana and Pop-Pop she had to be careful because they had only recently discovered they were still hers so if the boy with the yellow hair chose to tell the man in the screen then she would have to be Breach again to protect what was hers and no one else's except maybe Cheshire!

The girl pressed against her eyes until she saw stars, trying to ignore the footsteps wearily approaching. "Hey. Are you going to be okay Bre…Allison?" His voice was more curious than gentle. She heard his shaggy hair brush the collar of his shirt as he looked up, most likely looking for where she had come from. If he touched her without her touching him first she would scream because that was her only defense in this body with two arms.

"How'd you get up there anyway?" Even if she could answer, Allison doubted she would. She shook her head quickly, her only response.

Noah, confused by the tree that apparently grew girls, extended a hesitant hand to the shivering young woman who appeared on the verge of anxious tears. She was Breach after all, a powerless, shaking version, but the mischievous evo all the same. She had committed a great many crimes against Providence, and, by extension, humanity. But for some reason she had been granted a pardon, placed on some sort of limited parole. Noah didn't know the details. But he knew he couldn't leave her to her own devices.

"Come on. We can go to my house." Allison peeked over the tips of her fingers, looking at the boy kneeling in front of her. There was a look of determination on his face, his eyes shimmering silver cerulean in the sunlight. His blond hair brushed gently against his peach skin as a breeze blew past them.

He smelled nice, she realized. Not overbearing like some boys did, but clear. Clean. Like the rain. It was good if he was clean. Neat. It reminded her of her special place, the place she missed but could never return to for her things. She longed for her things, but Cheshire got her new, pretty things for her new place and she enjoyed making those neat too. This boy was also a new, pretty thing. A pretty, clean thing.

Allison slid her hand into his, nodding and hiding her eyes behind her sand colored hair.

"So you want anything?" The quiet girl was seated at his counter, bandages on her face and arms. She had insisted on administrating her own first aid, the situation made awkward when Noah was forced to address the gash on her back for her. She was still avoiding his eyes, looking down as one of her hands traced the side of her body absently. Not in a seductive way, but like a tick, like she wasn't even aware of it.

"Do you have someone you can call? I should avoid calling White, right?" She looked up as though he had asked her something horribly startling, her eyes, the color of cattails, became visible through the strands of her hair. He noted a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of her nose just before a small hand lashed out, grabbing his wrist pleadingly. He almost spilled the drinks he was carrying.

"Okay! It's cool! I won't call White!" Her eyes were uncertain, cautious. His heart went out to her for the second time that day, "I promise. I won't tell anyone where you are." The fingers that had become talons in his flash loosened and fell away, an apologetic look falling on the girl's features as she once again looked away.

Noah sat across from his strange guest as she released him, placing the two glasses of milk on the table. "Brea-" Noah stopped himself in time. Damn it. "Allison. Do you remember me?" He saw her after she'd been cured. It was only for a moment, not nearly enough time for him to get used to her new appearance and personality, but Rex had let it slip they were working with her. Trying to earn her trust and convince her that she no longer had to be Breach. An emotion flashed across her shaded eyes as she nodded.

"Good. That saves us some trouble, right?" She nodded again, slowly.

Noah sighed. "Okay. You know what? I've seen enough weird stuff to figure this out." If someone had walked up to the blonde boy and said "hey. Tomorrow you're going to invite a former member of the Pack over for milk and conversation" he would've shot them a weary look and stayed _far _away from their craziness. Actually, he thought with amusement, it was very Cheshire-like to predict such insanity, mainly because she would be the cause...

Wait a second. Cheshire…

"Did Cheshire send you?" Allison nodded enthusiastically. She was relieved he had found the answer without reducing her the charades. Or sign language. Did he even understand sign language? He looked like the sort of educated boy that would go out of his way to learn it and be able to speak it more than others that walked the streets and knew nothing of things or shiny people. Although this boy (_Noah. _Noah, said Cheshire) would probably understand because Cheshire said that he was good at "adapting to life's hurtles" and "taking things in stride" while dealing with evos bouncing in and out of his day. Evos like her, who show up and get invited to his special place for milk and talk that she couldn't do but wanted to because she knew she could but she couldn't all at once.

So he could adapt to the things that made her "OCD flare up" and "oddness" and "pretty little smile." Because he was that sort of boy. The sort of boy who took anything he started seriously even if it was, say, something silly like pottery or baking or paddle ball.

Allison couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up in her throat at the thought of Noah with a tiny paddle in his hand. A serious look on his face as a small white sphere bounced towards him.

How funny.

Noah looked confused at her smile, and jumped a bit when he heard the wheezing start of a laugh exit her mouth. It was dry and weak, like it hadn't been used in a while, but he knew he was witnessing something rare. Rex had said that Allison was mute most of the time, and only smiled when it was something concerning her only friend.

A strange feeling of accomplishment blossomed in the center of his chest, accompanied by slight embarrassment. Her smile was adorable; the only way it could've gotten cuter was if she had a teddy bear in her hand and was wearing a big lacy skirt with shiny black shoes. Maybe a lollipop and ribbons and…

Damn. It looked like his Lolita fetish was coming back.

"Now that that's settled," her laugh seemed to have lifted the intensity of the air, if only a bit. She was still a former criminal, he was still best friends with the guy who had to stop her, but they felt closer.

Their best friends were dating, right? So wouldn't it be easier to make friends anyway?

Noah looked at gleeful blush on her face and her shimmering eyes. The warmth in his chest expanded.

"I should call Cheshire, I guess. So she can come get you. There's no way she'll tell White, right?" He made it all the way to the phone and was listening to the dial tone when he realized the problem with this solution.

"Does she even have a cell?" The girl shook her head, mouth upturned in microscopic amusement.

Noah blinked at her.

She blinked back.

"It doesn't even seem like something she would have, really…" Allison shook her head again, the roll of her eyes in soft contrast to her innocent face. Maybe Breach and Allison weren't so different. There was still a slight undertone of mockery to her personality, although without the glowing green eyes and the extra limbs it didn't seem quite as mean spirited.

With a soft sigh and an even softer smile, Noah called Rex.

Had the blonde's stepfather been home, it would've been difficult to explain the frantic evo that suddenly appeared in his house, her tail waving and her smile hysteric. It took her several hours to arrive, not because Noah couldn't contact Rex, but because even with the two boys together they couldn't contact the platinum haired girl. Rex had sounded a bit panicked as he told Noah about Cheshire's strange radio silence, because under normal conditions she would've called him with one random factoid or another. Sometimes she would just hang up immediately after he answered, laughing hysterically as she pictured his confused and irked face.

Cheshire had been unconscious for three hours, waking up in the medical quarters and vanishing to lick her wounds in private. It was awful for her, sitting in worry as her body recharged enough for her to disappear. The most she could do in the first ten minutes was lift a book from her shelf, and only her foot would vanish if she tried to leave. A crazed laugh had echoed through her room when Rex was finally able to talk to her, several Providence agents glancing at her door nervously as they happened by.

So here is where the wild and slightly frenetic girl found herself, throwing her body at her friend, missing, and sliding to the floor. Her hair was standing on end, her dress ripped, her skin reverting to its natural ebony hue.

It was a good thing Noah and Allison had long since cleared the counter in favor of a card game, otherwise Cheshire would've upended two glasses, a bowl of popcorn and the basket of shells his step-dad kept around from Noah's childhood.

Apologies and explanations overflowed from Cheshire, her blue eyes wide and her lips strikingly stiff as she looked between the two sitting on stools.

"Don't worry about it Cheshire," Noah tried to soothe. Because honestly he couldn't recall a moment where she looked so panicked before; he could only assume she had imagined the worst, that Allison had been lucky in her landing.

"It was an accident! I only lost control for a second and she was just gone and I didn't know where and I was worried that I'd…okay. I'm good…I'm good…reel it in…" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment and running a hand through her hair. When she looked up again her smile was back, white curls flanking her face as she once again glanced from Noah to Allison.

"Did you guys have fun hanging out? Blessing in disguise and all that?" Relieved that she had stopped freaking out (what man knows how to deal with a frantic woman?) Noah moved to reclaim the cards Cheshire had sent to the floor. She didn't try to help him, her fingers caught in a knot as she tried to comb through her hair.

"Yeah. It was alright. We got to know each other better, right Allison?" The girl in question nodded, showing Cheshire the notepad on her lap. It was full of sloppy, hasty writing. The large smile on the female evo's face grew soft, sincere. "That's good. I'm still sorry though."

Noah shrugged, avoiding Cheshire's eyes as they came to rest on him. He could feel their strange intelligence, reading deep into his words and movements. Tendrils of her observant nature was reaching out and searching the air for the few hours her friend had been here; television playing a lame romantic comedy, snacks and drinks, a card game neither seemed interested in.

It was almost like a date.

Noah felt his face heat up at the thought, hoping that Cheshire's ever growing grin wasn't amusement at his expense. He knew it was for naught, because if it looked like a date in his mind then Cheshire had probably jumped to that conclusion the moment she began her study of the two.

The grin mutated into a smirk, the sputtering Noah failing to plea his case in an effective manner. Because Cheshire like the idea of her best friend getting along with Rex's _amigo número uno _(number one pal)but _loved _the idea of them courting. Not that she like double dates. Or any formal dating for that matter. She just liked to believe that there was someone out there for everyone, that when one failed to find their true love it was one of the greatest travesties of life.

And such and such and on and on. These theories of ever lasting romance held firm from her younger years, days filled by fairy tales and romance novels swiped from libraries and hidden in her tree.

So if Allison happened to be the perfect girl for Noah (one in nine billion chance, but still) then who was she to fight it? Wouldn't it be more productive to do everything in her power to help them realize the mutual attraction written on their faces? Go with the flow right? It would all fit together like a thousand piece puzzle.

Cheshire was barely able to smother the diabolical laughter in the back of her throat; the adorable awkwardness her friends produced only fueled her maniacal mind.

"She's a cute baby doll, huh?" Allison stiffened and looked at Cheshire in horror, Noah paling to the color of his refrigerator. Neither could ever come to express the strange guilt associated with her comment, like two teenagers caught in the back of a car.

"W-what? Well, yeah, I mean, I guess. She's a girl and um…. uh…you guys should get going huh? Before Providence notices you're gone. I mean, you wouldn't want to get in trouble right?" The blond went to turn off the television, a lame ploy to hide the blush building on his face. Allison was lucky, he thought begrudgingly, fumbling the remote, her smooth hair was able to cover most of the sweet pink on her cheeks.

"Hmm. I guess you're right." Cheshire offered her hand to Allison who accepted without hesitation. The white haired evo felt a tickle of guilt as she glanced at the bandages on the girl's face and arms. "_Ciao_ Noah."

"Yeah. Bye. Oh wait!" He ran over to the counter, the two girls looking over at him in confusion. He dug through the basket of shells, his fingers knowing what he wanted even as his mind struggled to keep up.

"Here. You said you like shiny stuff right?"

He held a delicate shell between in the palm of his hand, the finer membranes of its shell shimmering platinum in the kitchen light. A rainbow of colors bounced in the hollows of the empty crustacean casing, seemingly holding all the brightness of the world in something barely an inch long.

A barely audible gasp escaped the pale girl's lips, her delicate hand rising to accept the gift carefully. She was almost afraid something so fragile and beautiful would break apart when she touched it, she would have to keep it safe like her special place. Would it need someone to look after it? Keep it shiny? Because if she let other people in it they could destroy it, like her last shiny who was mad at her and made her mad at him and who was now with the creature-now-Cheshire that was also hers and she was almost afraid that the no-longer-shiny would ruin _her _friend but what was hers liked him so-

Her train of thought halted, watching a small smile twist the corner of the boy's…Noah's lips. It made her feel soft inside, fluttery, sparkly.

"Wow! Thanks Noah!" Cheshire chirped, breaking them from their tender moment. Allison jumped as her friend wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders, coming in for a closer look. "What creature was inside? Was it a member of the Tridacnidae family or the Gastropod family?" It looked like a cross between the two really, and Cheshire made note not to let Caesar see it. He would try and decide if the mutation was significant enough to be considered an evo.

And she was still mad at him.

Noah scratched the back of his head nervously. Smart girls were truly a scary thing; dating Clair had taught him that much. "I, uh, don't know Cheshire." She grinned, wrapping her fingers around Allison's arm. The girl seemed to have faded into her own world as she gazed at Noah, the shell clenched tightly in her hand.

"We gotta go. Don't want them to find out we're missing, right Allison?" There was no response as former evo opened her hand to look at the shell again.

They disappeared quickly. Cheshire was eager to return and create plans to shove her two friends together. A wicked smile was on her face, eyes narrowed and shooting thoughts of good intention into the air. Noah felt as though he should say something, a warning to the girl looking up at him with shimmering green eyes that her best friend was a little kooky, but he couldn't quite remember what he wanted to say under the pressure of her gaze.

Just before they disappeared completely, Allison lifted her hand in a small wave, a cautious smile on her lips.


	4. Chapter 4

**BB says: **This is the fulfillment of a request made by one of my readers, _hellgirl-fan1_. And I think everyone could use a break from all the angst in my other Generator Rex story, right? Alright, here ya go. Rex/Cheshire, just so you know.

**Rating: **You know, I think I might actually be able to call this one k+. Would that blow your mind?

**Disclaimer: **I own no part of Henry David Thoreau (except for his toe. Just kidding.) or Generator Rex.

"_'Tis healthy to be sick sometimes,"  
_

_~Henry David Thoreau _

_10:00 PST_

The crashing of branches was the only indication that anything was off in the Zoo, and even that was an everyday occurrence for a place laden with tromping animals. Several avian types lifted themselves away from the disturbance and into the air, a few terra breeds snorted and loped off for less disturbing prey, and Blinky, the ill-tempered tree, glared hardily at the being lying just out of reach. For it would _totally _throttle the young woman, given the chance.

For someone who had just fallen from several decameters in the air, Cheshire seemed to be in a mighty fine state. She failed to realize just how off-center her arrival really was until she crashed through tree branches, but she was alive and that was more than a normal person would be able to say had they been in the same situation.

And, again, her current wellness was in comparison to that of a corpse. Because that is what anyone else would be, falling from that height.

As it was and will forever be, the young evo had merely plummeted from far in the air, crashed through several very normal trees, and landed in a heap on the ground. She felt pain, that was certain, but not more than the aches she hadn't been able to shake all morning. Or afternoon, as it was in Ireland. Not quite conscious, the girl mumbled what may have been an ill-tempered curse at herself, face down in the dirt (inches from a steaming pile of evo turd; one must always count their blessings), her burning body failing to cool in the soil.

While she supposed the wise thing to do would be to disappear again -completely forego visiting Rex as she had intended and flee to the comfort of her bed- Cheshire didn't quite trust her abilities at the moment. Usually she would have appeared just outside his door, meaning she had overshot (or perhaps undershot) her designated landing by several floors. Meaning her powers were on the fritz.

Aw damn. This certainly made sneaking around much harder.

She sniffled, and not from tears. Her nose had been stuffy all day, her head screaming and her body aching. If she didn't know any better, she would assume she was…

The thought was shaken away. Even if she was, she could take care of herself. All that needed to be done was finding a nice, quiet niche to lie in until her head stopped pounding and her limbs stopped shaking, and then she would "poof" back to Ireland and into a restful slumber. That was it, and it didn't need to get any more complicated than that.

Confident in her decision, the young evo staggered to her feet, promptly falling to her knees when she realized the world was tipping on its axis.

No, wait. That was her body. When did standing become this hard? Messy hair, damp with a cold sweat, swaggered into her vision. Ohhh. Her vertigo was getting worse.

Judging by the luck she seemed to be having, she couldn't say she was surprised when something latched onto the back of her kitty pajamas, lifting her off her knees and into the air. The young evo assumed it was one of the larger occupants of the Zoo, finally returning to the scene of her landing in order to inspect the delicious morsel that had fallen amongst them. Such an insult! She was not someone's snack!

Cheshire hissed feebly, prying open her eyes to get a good look at her captor.

As was the case for many of her species (if one considered all evos to be a single species. It was actually a major debate among biologists) it was hard for Cheshire to decide just what had a firm, somewhat weary, grip on her scruff. It had lifted her to eye level, gazing at her from behind a mass of tangled brown fur with glowing red eyes. The eyes were really the only detail she could see, as the being was covered in hair from head to toe, making details aside from two legs, two arms, and a tail impossible to see.

"And what are you?" English? It spoke with a slight scoff, a deep husky voice that seemed terribly amused by the pathetic creature before it. Cheshire smiled sheepishly, tail wiggling. "I could ask the same." It chose to ignore her comment, huge head bending closer to give her a sniff.

"You _smell _like a cat-"

"So do you, fella."

"-but you don't _look _like one."

"Neither do you, fuzzy." Choosing to refer to her furry captor as a male, Cheshire smiled broader at him. "Are you a new member of Providence? I don't believe we've met before." He wrinkled the face behind the fur, only noticeable because the fuzz shifted a bit. "No. I've been here for several years."

"Really? Me too. Never met you before."

"There's never been a need." Without further ado, he dropped her onto her bottom. Cringing, Cheshire looked up at his retreating back, glimpsing the rough, gray patch that seemed to be restricting his movement. It was only present for a moment, before the large evo shook it away. He continued moving as though nothing had happened. "Wait!" He paused, glancing over his shoulder. "What?" It wasn't _quite _a snap, so Cheshire was encouraged to continue. "Sit with me a moment. I'm bored." He bristled.

"I am _not _here for your entertainment." The female evo shrugged and laughed a little.

"Didn't say you were. You can talk, so you can hold a conversation, _ja?" _He paused as though thinking it over, facing her fully and frowning. She applauded herself. It was becoming easier to read his face behind his frizzy mask. "Why do you want to talk to me?" Cheshire beamed happily, smelling victory even as the cotton in her nose increased so she had to breathe through her mouth. She could feel the heat radiating from her body but she was _freezing._

"Why does anyone talk to anyone? To learn more about you. We're on the same side." Noticing his remaining hesitation, she raised an eyebrow. "Or do you have something better to do? An urgent matter to attend to?"

Granting a submissive sigh, the large evo lumbered back over to her, granting a few feet between. No, lumbered was the wrong word. Despite being large and somewhat top heavy he still possessed the grace and manner of a feline, demonstrated as he sat, cross-legged in one swooping motion. "First off," Cheshire slammed her fist into her hand with a gavel motion "my name is Cheshire. What's your name?"

"I lost it long ago."

"Oh?" She gave little cough, increasing the tickle in her throat to a steady soreness. "We'll have to fix that, won't we?"

_11:13 PST_

There was something about the female that made it too easy to fall into comfort.

_11:13:17 PST_

Was it her form? It was rare evos took similar forms, and rarer still that they remained coherent. Two cats could understand each other, right?

_11:14 PST_

Perhaps it was the fact that she was entertaining and, contrary to his reclusive nature, he was hungry for conversation?

_11:14:05 PST_

Or her eyes? She seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say, and all too happy that he was taking the time to say it to her.

They spoke for quite some time, as she rambled about her time before joining Providence and her way of thinking. He shared just why the Hell he had joined an institution he once believed to be the enemy of all evos, and watched her eyes go wide.

"You resist just by _concentrating? _That's incredible! You're amazing, Crookshanks!" The name she had chosen for him. She said it was appropriate because of a character she had read about in a book. He wasn't particularly fond of it, but she was more insistent on calling him that than he was of resisting. As long as no one else starting in with that ridiculous name.

"You should have seen me after Sir Grabby sunk his claws into _my_ chest! I was in a worse state, believe me." Her laughter ended in rough gasps. He was reminded that something was wrong with her, that perhaps she would need medical attention in the near future.

But she never admitted to her weakness. A quality that was admirable, if foolish. He supposed she had her reasons. He had the sneaking suspicion that she was using him as a distraction from her own discomfort, that she was in some sort of denial phase regarding her pain.

Of course that all fell apart when she collapsed.

_11:15 PST_

Cheshire loved the surprise she accidentally sprung on her new friend. Sure, her vision had been fading in the corners of her eyes for quite some time and, yeah, she felt her body pulling to the side. But she hadn't felt the need to interrupt him, not when he seemed to finally be opening up. When she had finally earned an amused smirk.

She was honestly just as shocked as he was when the sudden feel of cushy earth was under her ear. She felt him standing above her and opened her eyes.

"Are you ill?"

"No. But I feel a touch of déjà vu." He seemed rather confused, so she kept speaking. "Sorry. I can get a bit nonsensical at times."

"Do you need help?"

"No, no, I've got-" she stumbled and fell in her attempt to stand. "Okay. Sorta. You know Rex, right?"

_11:20 PST_

He chose only the more abandoned halls, slipping past the cameras gracefully and unseen. Even if there had been more agents about, Crookshanks doubted they would have stopped to question him as he had developed something of a reputation amongst the Providence soldiers. He was a double agent, and therefore a natural scapegoat for any suspicions held by those around him.

It wasn't as though his hidden recognizance had yielded any overly useful information. Van Kleiss had personally "killed" him in front of the original Pack members. He couldn't necessarily just reappear among them like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't been a chunk of stone just months before.

The first days in Abysus had been difficult, as it was hard for him to resist the call of the wild that seemed to thrum in his veins and the stiffness being part rock entwined in his body. Much had changed in the time he had been gone, and the beast in him screamed for dominance of the new order, even with his weakened state. He stayed out of the way of larger evos that were certainly new additions to the forest, hiding in the shadows and waited for information to be spilled.

But Crookshanks was stubborn and strong willed.

This was his first time returning to Providence in quite some time. Van Kleiss had been rallying his minions beneath him, gathering wild ones from the forest and preparing them for some sort of heavy attack. The large feline wasn't sure when it was to be or what place, but he knew to warn those who had taken the time to cure him.

At least partially. There was a stubborn patch between his shoulder blades that wouldn't go away. The same place Cheshire was currently nuzzling her face.

"Thanks for the lift, Crooky," she hummed, clinging to his back for dear life. "I don't think I could've made it on my own." He snorted.

"Do not forget your promise to me."

"Of course not." Oddly enough, the massive tomcat had wanted a cheeseburger. A greasy glob of junk that one could only get just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Well, yeah, it was possible to get burgers other places too. But he wanted one from Bob's Diner off of route 66.

_11:20 PST_

"Whoa! Don't just appear like that! I didn't even know you were back from…is that Cheshire?"

_11:28 PST_

Cheshire snuggled into Rex's bed like she belonged there, looking up at him with an angel's grin and a soft giggle. "It smells like you," she hummed, wriggling comfortably. Her face were now openly portraying her poor health, a deep pallor beneath her russet brown skin and warm smile. He could hear the congestion in her voice as she sighed contentedly, her hair a broken halo on his pillow.

And though he was somewhat frustrated with her for making the trip when she was so obviously ill, Rex felt pink creep onto his face.

A heavy chuckle reminded him they weren't alone. Cheshire granted the large evo standing to the side a wide grin even as Rex frowned in embarrassment.

"'kay, you brought her. You can go now." Crookshanks only chuckled harder, a sound that was much like the sound of an earthquake; low, more felt than heard.

"That's no way to thank me. I was gracious enough to bring your," _damn it,_ Rex thought, eying the taller evo _he better not call her my_ "mate to you." Although he had seen it coming, the young man still jumped a bit with his face now a very cherry shade.

"She's not my…I mean we haven't…" perhaps it was the cat in the evo that made the young man's discomfort so very amusing. It is in the nature of felines to be not only proud creatures, but also somewhat wicked.

As one would figure Rex would have recognized by now.

"Be nice, Crookshanks, before you give him a hernia," came the hoarse voice from the sheets, bored with watching her beau struggle. Crookshanks cringed at the name, a wicked smiled appeared on Rex's face. "Crookshanks? _That's _your name? _Really?_" A low hiss built in a thick throat. "The girl chose the name. I haven't agreed to it."

"But you didn't not agree, right?" Rex had been around Cheshire too much; a question posed in such a roundabout way was something she would ask. "I mean Crookshanks? That's so lame!"

"I told you I had nothing to do with it!"

"You could have told her you didn't like it!'

"It was an unnecessary thing to mention!" All this was making Cheshire's head hurt worse. She decided to end it. "Rex." He took a break from teasing to look down at her. "Yeah?"

"You. Me. Sex." This got her the result she expected. Suddenly confronted with an image that was both desired and decidedly awkward to discuss, Rex's blood began to burn in his veins and he was momentarily blinded by a scene that was terribly enticing.

"Thank you Crookshanks," Cheshire smiled at him, ignoring the look of mortification on Rex's face. It was twisted and almost looked pained. "I'll be sure to get your burger to you later, 'kay?"

"Right." The room was still for a moment as Crookshanks spared the frozen Rex a glance.

"Is he…going to be alright?"

"He's fine."

_11:30 PST_

Rex stirred. Unable to resist, Cheshire grinned.

"Intercourse."

And back to where they started.

_11:31 PST_

"You're a monster," prying open her sore eyes, Cheshire spared a tired smile. "What?" she croaked. It was such a pained noise Rex grimaced from the place he sat on his bed. "Not my fault you hate the idea of us together." Rex stuttered. "What? I do not!"

"Then why did you freeze, sweetheart?" The young man stiffened, shifting uncomfortably. "It's nothing."

"No?" Cheshire pouted, watching Rex succumb to her pathetic look. "It's just…you don't have to bring it up like that, ya know?" He wriggled uncomfortably. "I mean, if you wanted to, I wouldn't say no…it's just…you know…we _ could_…" Had she embarrassed him? "I don't want to do it at the moment, Rex."

"I figured."

"Someday?"

"Ah? I-if you want." The look on his face was so innocent, so nervous and adorable, that Cheshire felt unbridled affection rising in her throat. She fought into a sitting position, ignoring the terrible sense of faintness, and placed her head on his shoulder.

"This conversation is terribly awkward," the girl sneezed, curling in on herself and nudging into Rex's shoulder happily. His hand was cool when it found her face, although she knew it was only her increased temperature that made it feel that way.

_11:32 PST_

Her cough was rough He offered to get her something to drink.

_12:00 PST_

"Ugh. What _is _this?" Rex raised an eyebrow. "It's tea." Cheshire pouted, reclining slightly in _his _bed. Whilst complaining about the tea he so graciously brought her.

"No, this is hot leaf water."

"Isn't that _all_ tea?" A huge pout settled on a brown face.

_12:00:05 PST_

Rex cracked.

_12:15 PST_

It took less time because she only required stronger tea. Meaning he didn't have to take the time to heat the water, slice the lemon (at least he now knew never to try it with BFS again. He only did it to see if he could), and find the packets of sugar.

Cheshire still made a face, the beverage snob, but didn't say anything as a reward for his efforts.

"Can I have something to read, too?" She frowned at the offered gamer magazine and Rex felt slightly frustrated with her. "Well what do you want then?"

"I'm sure Miss Holiday has a novella or two."

"Not in her office."

"Nope." It really didn't take him long to figure out what she expected him to do. "You won't let it go, will you?" The young woman shrugged, sniffling into a tissue. She had nearly emptied the box he had brought her, and would need more before long.

"I'm bored."

_12:20 PST_

So he was outside of Dr. Holiday's room, feeling every bit the creeper. It was easy enough to bypass her locks and access the strangely forbidden room. Despite all the years he had known the woman, he had never dared enter her private quarters. Sure, he had known where it was and, yeah, he had caught a glimpse. But he had never been able to actually go in. She never told him _not _to go in, and he doubted the squeaky clean doctor had anything to hide. But at the same time it felt like a breach of privacy.

The young man shook the feeling off. It wasn't like he was snooping. He was just borrowing a book. Because, if Dr. Holiday knew that Cee was as sick as she was, surely the woman would _offer _her hidden treasure of literature. Not that he could tell her; Cee would throttle him if she did. She wasn't allowed at this base after all.

He doubted the older woman would say anything, but then there was also the fact that his girlfriend was weary of medicine and medical services in general. So…yeah…

Dr. Holiday's room was surprisingly average.

Now, if he were a girl, where would he keep his books?

On the shelf. Duh.

Confident that he was going to be in and out without suffering any sort of trauma or repercussions, they walked in.

Not just Dr. Holiday.

Not just Six.

Holix.

Or whatever name one would call watching their two parental figures heavily make out in the doorway, perhaps having intended to move on to the bed. Had Rex not been in the room.

He felt his eye twitch.

Holiday gasped.

Six raised an eyebrow.

Snatching a random book off the shelf, the young man bolted, regretting the fact that his amnesia wasn't selective.

_12:31 PST_

Trauma caused him to stumble blindly through the halls for a bit.

_13:01 PST_

Cheshire was asleep by the time he made it back and though he had the desperate need to wash his eyeballs, he spared the slumbering girl a small smile. She snored fiercely, mouth slightly agape and a little line of drool sliding down her face. Her body had curled in on itself under the covers, and she appeared to be hugging her arms close. Her face twitched when he entered but save for a flicker of her eyelids, his appearance didn't pose much of a disturbance. Sighing, Rex threw the book (that had come at much too steep a cost) onto the bed.

Content that she was finally content, Rex thought it was safe to turn on his gaming system. Maybe hardcore violence would sterilize his brain.

Just as he was reclining in his gaming chair and turning on his television, he heard her stomach grumble. In such a disruptive manner she jumped, gasping herself out of slumber. Shifting in embarrassment, Cheshire met his eyes.

"Did you eat today?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow. She grinned sheepishly. "Now today or Ireland today?"

"Either."

"No to both. Not hungry."

"You have to eat."

"No." Instead of continuing the argument, Rex got up to get the cranky kitty some food.

_13:15 PST_

"What do you mean 'no soup today'"?

"Did I stutter? It's macaroni day."

"I thought that was Wednesday, not Saturday."

"Do you want it or not?"

"No. Damn it."

_13:27 PST_

"'Ey chief. Where ya off to?" Rex froze just as he was about to take off, turning to his simian sidekick. "Huh? Oh, I was just…going to grab a bite. Yeah. Cause macaroni day gets old and I felt like…soup?" It was supposed to be an explanation (although it sounded distinctly like a question).

"Soup?"

"Yeah. Where's the best chicken noodle?"

"Depends. Got room for a chimp?"

_14:58 PST_

"Damn it Bobo."

"What? You asked for the best soup I knew, and this is close enough." Walking into the cafe, Rex felt an agitated stitch in his shoulder. "It took over an hour to get here! She's probably asleep by now!"

"Who?"

"Uhhhh, a hot chick I met online… who lives in Japan! It's late there, you know. And I wanted to tell her… goodnight."

"Not Cheshire?" Rex sputtered, wide eyed. Bobo seemed slightly insulted that that boy thought he could get away with keeping his girl in his room. "I could smell 'er, ya know." The young man sighed. "Yeah. No one else knows, right?"

"No. I tattooed it on my ass and ran screaming it through the halls."

_15:15 PST_

"It's about time," Bobo grumped, earning a shocked gasp from the young woman serving up there food to go. She obviously had no experience with talking apes.

"We could have had it from the other place. You know, if you hadn't made a scene."

"Hey! Why am I the only one offended by the idiot behind the counter? That asshole needed to be taught a lesson." Rex sighed. The man behind the counter had been somewhat… startled by a chimp walking in, and, in his shock, may have said some slightly offensive things. Like, for instance, asking Rex to leave his pet monkey outside, as he was unsanitary.

Bobo Haha don't play that shit. Which the now terrorized restaurant had quickly learned.

_15:17 PST_

The two should have watched where they were going. Or maybe bikers should learn not to lean their bikes so close together. In any case, they were now in trouble.

Why the Hell were a rough and tumble biker gang hanging out at an uptown cafe, anyway?

_15:32 PST_

Running is very good exercise, but the Rex Ride was more convenient. Especially when being chased by motor biking tough guys who want to gut someone with a spoon.

_15:33 PST_

The gang promptly scattered at the appearance of the evo, an enormous creature that apparently preyed upon those coasting down the road. A thick limb –part wormy thing, part claw- wrapped around the lead man and hefted him into the air. "Hold this!" Rex handed Bobo their food as the ape dashed for cover. He hadn't been expecting to be attacked, and was pleasantly unprepared.

"'Ey! Watch it!" The simian shouted as the beast smashed one of its many tentacles inches from his face. The evo actually seemed to take offense, and pulled itself out of the hidey hole it had been camping in. The monster had a long, tubular body with the lashing tentacles (feelers?) surrounding its head in order to drag food into its tooth rimmed maw. It appeared to be blind or in possession of the same poor eyesight that many subterranean animals claim, but it somehow kept track of Rex, biker-guy dragged along for the ride. To the young evo's surprise, the huge man wiped out a gun and shot the giant monster in the face.

With a slew of language Dr. Holiday would never let him say, the biker gang that had abandoned their wheels opened fire on the creature holding their boss. Average bullets, admittedly, but they served as a good distraction while Rex cured his opponent.

The earthworm crawled away like nothing had happened.

_15:35 PST_

It was impossible to say no to a biker gang. Especially when they held the strong belief that brothers in arms should party together. It wasn't everyday one works kills an evo (Rex didn't want to point out it wasn't dead and kill the buzz) and it was totally necessary to make the strange kid and his monkey pal honorary members. Bobo agreed heartedly. Realizing there was no way to slide out of it and hoping Cheshire hadn't wandered off, Rex agreed.

_16:03 PST_

Partying with Hell's Happy Days meant being total assholes at the closest restaurant. More fun than Rex wanted to attest to. Although the beer he snuck tasted like piss. Their leader, Mark B. Utts (unfortunate name but an even tempered guy…when no one was messing with his bike), was from Texas and happily partook in any stereotype one could have in their arsenal. He had fired his pistol into the air when they arrived and slurred all his words with a southern twang. He even offered to play a ballad on the guitar strapped to his back, an acoustic that had somehow survived his run in with the huge evo.

_17:23 PST_

Although the more he hung out with these guys the more he liked them (Skull Crusher was hilarious and Satan's Steel was awesome at magic tricks) Rex had to go when it became obvious Bobo was crazy drunk. The ape was hopping from table to table, singing along with the music coming over the speakers.

_18:24 PST_

Cold soup in hand, Rex dumped the falling down drunk chimp in his room. Although Bobo had put up a bit of a fight when they left (apparently he wanted more potato skins) the young man was grateful the intoxicated monkey-man didn't resist being placed in his room. He figured Bobo was mad at not getting the skins, and the chimp supported that theory by climbing into his hammock and giving Rex the finger. The young man didn't mind the gesture, really, because he knew that a drunk Bobo was a quick tempered Bobo.

He just hoped no one would wonder why the monkey was as intoxicated as he was before the sun even went down. The boy shook his head and ran to the kitchen to heat up Cheshire's soup, suddenly paranoid something had happened while he was gone.

_18:25 PST_

"Rex, I'd like to talk about what you saw earlier."

"Huh? That's okay Doc, I'm fine."

"No, I think it's best we sit down and I explain everything."

"Damn it!"

"Excuse me?"

_19:09 PST_

After the expected speech regarding his language and the vulgarity of it, Rex felt slightly numb regarding the real topic at hand. That being, of course, how he had accidentally walked in on Six and Holiday. Or had they walked in on him? Either way it was weird, made all the more awkward by Holiday's fierce blush and insistence on explaining the situation. It wasn't like Rex didn't _know _that the two were an item. Because he had always suspected that they were -at least when he had taken the time to examine it- and had, on an unconscious level, already accepted it. The only real thing for him to overcome was the terrible trauma that was too much like seeing one's parents together.

It was somewhat anticlimactic when Dr. Holiday reached the end of their talk.

"So…you just don't want me to tell anyone?"

"If you don't mind."

"Cool. Later Doc." The woman breathed a sigh of relief, wondering at her habit of rambling when nervous and the young man's nonchalance.

_19:14 PST_

"Rex."

"Hey Six."

"Let's talk."

"But Holiday already gave me the speech!"

_19:43 PST_

He finally escaped, sprinting to his destination. He did not pass Go, nor did he collect two hundred dollars. He had the strange fear that Captain Calan would appear and tell him where babies came from.

_19:48 PST_

Heating up soup was boring.

_19:53 PST_

It looked like he was right to be concerned about Cheshire while he was gone.

He nearly dropped the bowl of soup in his hand when he walked in and noticed, somewhat incredulously, that Cheshire was no longer alone in his bed.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded rudely, narrowing his eyes. The large feline evo looked up from where he was wrapping his massive body around Cheshire. Looking _way_ too at home doing it. Rex had left his door unlocked because he thought getting the girl some soup wouldn't take _that _long (the joke was on him, apparently) and he honestly hadn't expected in his wildest dreams that a half wild jungle cat would wander in the second he turned his back. He grit his teeth before he could start screaming.

Crookshanks had only returned to update his demands, requesting not only a burger, but also some fries and a shake. He was sure the girl would agree, because she had seemed all too happy to repay him for taking her where she wanted to go. As he entered the room, request on the tip of his tongue, he noted the fact that she was sleeping, face buried in Rex's pillow and hair a splayed mess. She was wrapped around herself, the blankets held close and a look of discomfort on her face.

Crookshanks wasn't one for reminiscing. Nor was he a particularly sentimental guy. But seeing her on the bed, helpless and sick while the rest of the world ticked on, had tweaked something very close to a heartstring. It reminded him of another small girl, at another time and on another bed. Still human and too weak to help her, he was forced to watch the body waste away.

But perhaps that story was for another day.

Shaking his head and knowing he would regret his actions, he had climbed beside her and pulled her close.

"She was shaking," he told the fuming evo boy before him, making no effort to remove himself from the smaller form on the bed "I suppose you would have preferred it I left her here to freeze?" Damn him and his damn logic! Rex frowned. "She wouldn't have frozen. She has a blanket."

"That obviously wasn't enough. If you don't like it, why the Hell did you leave her alone so long?"

_Idiot, _the large evo wanted to hiss _how could you leave her like this?_

Rex stumbled, his hand stiff on the bowl. Of course he had good reason for being so late, for leaving her alone much longer than he intended. But he didn't need to be questioned after a day like his. What did that stupid cat know, anyway? How dare he even _suspect _Rex of negligence. He was so tempted to shout and fight, to dump the steaming broth on the evo's head. But the guy _had _acted out of compassion (maybe). And he couldn't yell without waking Chehsire.

"I wouldn't have left her," he spoke through clenched teeth "if I didn't need to." He set the bowl down, counting to ten. "Thank you," why was gratitude so painful? "For taking care of her while I was gone." Crookshanks looked surprised as Rex forced himself calm, red eyes slightly wider than normal as he raised invisible brows. "You're…welcome?" Rex nodded.

"So, how is she?" The large cat looked down at the pale girl beside him. "She stopped shivering. But she still has a fever." He pried himself from the bed, moving towards to door. "I'm no longer needed here. I'm sure you'll handle it."

"Yeah, thanks," Rex smirked "Crookshanks." The evo hissed, his worst fear realized. How long before the rest of Providence started calling him that ridiculous name?

"Whatever. Take care of your mate."

"She's not my-" content with getting a reaction out of Rex, Crookshanks shut the door. Cheshire stirred, obviously missing the heat source. "Rex?" She croaked, prying open her crusty eyes. "Took you a long time." He snorted, bringing over the bowl and sitting on the floor beside the bed. "Yeah well, I had a rough day. How are you feeling?" She wrinkled her nose. "Bad. I think I might be sick." Rex rolled his eyes and offered her the soup. "Not hungry."

"You can't not eat when you're sick, Cee." And after all the effort involved in getting the soup, he'd be damned if she didn't at least taste it. The female evo sighed and accepted, sitting up. She made a face, but put the spoon in her mouth. "It's good."

"Damn straight," he smiled broadly and Cheshire giggled. "It's not like _you _made it. Don't look so proud."

"I might as well have made it! It was hard getting it for you, you know."

"Poor baby. If you learned to cook, maybe you wouldn't have to run out to get food." She grinned as he began to pout.

_20:16 PST_

He watched her eat in silence, placing the bowl on the floor when she was finished and watching her lie down happily. "Guess I was hungry after all."

"Told ya so." They looked at each other, hints of frustration appearing in Cheshire's eyes after a moment. "Well?"

"Well what?" She pouted. "I'm cold. Get up here."

"Wait…were you awake when he laid next to you?" She shrugged.

"He was warm."

"And a guy! You shouldn't get into bed with guys randomly!"

"It wasn't random. And _he _got into bed with _me._" Rex sighed, but took off his shoes and jacket. He really was tired, and that was a shame because it was too flipping early to be this flipping tired.

Great. Holiday's speech had even censored his thoughts.

Settled beside Cheshire, Rex finally felt the slight shake that the young woman's body had echoing throughout her limbs, the feverish heat that was radiating from her skin. Wrapping his arms around her, he gently pulled her into his chest. She scooted up to nuzzle her nose into his neck, sighing a bit into his warmth as he held her tightly.

"Thank you." Rex raised a brow, looking down at her. "For what?" She smiled. "Taking care of me. Judging by the dust in your hair and the smell on your clothes, it wasn't easy." He laughed a bit, because only taking care of a sick Cheshire could lead to so much excitement. "Yeah, well," he pressed his lips to her forehead "it was worth if it helped you, _gatita_. Hurry up and get better so my life can be normal again." She made a happy noise in the back of her throat as he kissed her, angling her face to be sure he didn't meet her lips. She was very probably contagious, but his mouth left a trail of pleasant coolness on her skin that she couldn't resist. As she nudged closer, her leg bumped into a hard knoll in the bed.

Reaching down she lifted the book up to read the title.

"Rex?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you bring me a book on anatomy?"

"Damn it."

_Dublin – All day_

"Hey Allison. Have you seen Cheshire?" The girl gave a small shrug, smiling.


End file.
